17. 07. 2003

OSCE head office disappointed by parliamentary vote

BELGRADE, 17 July, 2003 – Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, chairman-in-office of the OSCE and Dutch Foreign Minister, has expressed his disappointment over the result of yesterday's Serbian Parliament vote regarding the Broadcast Agency Council. Scheffer said: "While I acknowledge the decision of the Serbian Parliament, I cannot help being disappointed by the fact that the Serbian Parliament voted in favour of keeping the three disputed Broadcasting Agency's Council Members in place. This decision does not correspond with the OSCE's position on the issue". He explained that the OSCE would have favoured a decision whereby the election procedures of the three disputed members and the two vacated seats be repeated, in accordance with the law. According to an OSCE statement, the parliamentary vote reconfirmed the illegal appointment of three disputed members to the Broadcasting Council, which was not in line with legal procedure in the first place. The vote not only casts a shadow over the legitimacy of the Council, but is also contrary to the OSCE position, which is based on the legal criteria. The chairman-in-office continued: "I call on the responsible authorities to address and implement the much needed media reforms in the country, in order to strengthen the establishment of professional and objective media in Serbia". The foreign minister added that the OSCE's Mission to Serbia-Montenegro is prepared to continue lending advice aimed at assisting reforms of the media sphere.